Pituitary and Skull-Based Tumors

To make an appointment with a pituitary and skull-based tumor specialist, call 410-328-6034.

The University of Maryland Medical Center Pituitary and Skull-Based Tumor Program provides patients with efficient, comprehensive and innovative care through a compassionate, coordinated team of pituitary and skull-based tumor specialists. The program provides rapid access to state-of-the art therapies and groundbreaking clinical trials for both malignant and benign tumors in a patient-friendly environment.

What Sets Us Apart

Team-oriented approach to care – Our highly-skilled, multidisciplinary team includes neurosurgeons, neuro-oncologists, medical oncologists, radiation oncologists, neuroradiologists, neuropathologists, physical medicine and rehabilitation specialists and nurse coordinators. These specialists embrace a team approach to care, working closely together to ensure patients received advanced, personalized and comprehensive treatments.

Highly experienced team – University of Maryland Medical Center brain tumor specialists are exceptionally trained and experienced doctors, nurses and therapists, ready to provide the most effective, safe care available.

Access to the latest treatments and clinical trials – The brain tumor team strives to apply the most pertinent, updated information related to brain tumor biology to aid in decisions related to the timing and types of treatment. This includes offering a full-spectrum of innovative, exciting new treatment options through clinical trials when appropriate for each patient.

Conditions We Treat

Acoustic Neuroma/Vestibular Schwannoma – These rare, usually slow-growing tumors are benign and develop on the nerve leading from the inner ear to the brain. They can lead to hearing and balance problems and squeeze surrounding nerves and blood vessels.

Meningioma – Often benign, these tumors start in the meninges – thin tissues covering the brain and spinal cord.

Pituitary tumors – Pituitary region tumors develop on the pituitary gland – the pea-sized “master” endocrine gland that controls release of hormones from other glands and helps control growth and development. Most are benign. There are several kinds of pituitary tumors, including:

ACTH-producing tumors

Growth hormone-secreting tumors

Prolactinomas

TSH-producing and gonadotropin-secreting tumors

Nonfunctional pituitary tumors

Advanced Treatment Options

The University of Maryland Medical Center Pituitary and Skull-Based Tumor Program uses modern technology to maximize patient safety and outcomes, including a state-of-the-art, intra-operative surgical navigation system, which improves a surgeon’s precision and accuracy, high-power microscopes and a Neurotrauma Critical Care Unit (NTCC), which has advanced monitoring equipment, for post-operative care.

Our neurosurgeons are also experts in “awake brain surgery,” also known as intraoperative brain mapping. The technique, used during many brain tumor procedures, enables surgeons to remove tumors that are otherwise inoperable. Patients are sedated at the beginning and end of the procedure but awake in the middle to test neurologic function.

For patients with complex tumors, our team also partners with the Maryland Proton Treatment Center, which offers a highly advanced and precise form of radiation therapy that can increase radiation dose to a tumor while decreasing the dose to healthy, surrounding tissue.